Crafty Individuals book

The challenge at the moment over on the Crafty Individuals blog is about creating things in miniature.

So, here is my toilet roll book.

I began by cutting four toilet roll middles at different lengths and painting with white gesso.
Next, I glued a few bits of script tissue and a greek newspaper randomly onto the surfaces.
I chose a variety of CI stamps in a nature theme and printed them with black archival.
I die cut some leaves using brown wax paper and added them to my pages.

Next, stamped and heat embossed some script in gold and heat embossed with Gold Frontage on the edges of the pages.

I added a selection of jute, ribbon and hessian to the pages and hole punched and put rings through.

A little string and raffia through the rings and my book was finished.

I am entering this into the Crafty Individuals challenge.

A Triplicity of EV's.

It is always a pleasure to create something for the Paperartsy Blog. This time, the theme is colour mixing and my stamps are from the fabulous collection By Ellen Vargo.

I began my project by producing lots of colour charts, mixing together 2 fresco colours, adding one drop of colour from the opposite end each time and finishing with the opposite pure colour.
I loved doing this, it was so relaxing and I kept on and on experimenting to see what happened.

I was so enthused, that I created 3 pieces of work.

Piece number 1 was using the colour mix on the left of the charts...Vanilla, through to Captain Peacock.
I painted wide stripes of each of my mixes onto PA smoothy card and stamped "petals", using EEV04
and Black Archival Ink.
I built up a flower and added a centre, from Wendy Vecchi, which was painted with the Vanilla.
I mounted the flower into a deep frame.

Piece Number 2 was using Pumpkin Soup, through to China. I randomly painted a background of these colours onto a page of an old repurposed book and then stamped in Black Archival, using EEV05. Very satisfying filling the page with wonderful lines and dots.

Piece Number 3 is a landscape. I have used the same colour palette as the one above...Pumpkin Soup and China.

I began by roughly drawing my background fields onto my book page and cut out some random papers...maps, music, french script and glued them onto some of the fields.

Next, stamped with Black Archival some flowers from EEV10, onto smoothy card and painted and cut them out.

I used the colours in various watered down degrees for my fields, with stronger colour in the foreground and paler in the distance.

I stamped a sentiment from EEV10, and assembled my picture, adding just a little scribble!

So, there is my trio of Ellen Vargo pieces...how I enjoyed creating them using such wonderful stamps. 

You can see my pieces and work from some talented artists over on the Paperartsy Blog.

Thanks for visiting me! 

Dina and Dyan

Hi folks, here is my second piece for Country View Crafts playing with Circles.

I have been fascinated for a while by this lovely set of Dina Wakley stamps in which she included photos of herself, and Dyan Reaveley as children.
I began by choosing a random mop-up paper and stamping with Tim Holtz stamp DOILY CMS254 in Black Archival. I arranged them onto my black card.

Next, I cut out some flowers from some lovely wrapping paper that I had received for my birthday. 

I stamped some circles from my very overused Emma Godfrey stamps....EEG15 onto red, inky mop-up paper, and added words which I had typed. 

I then spent ages arranging and re-arranging these and buttons and cogs and flowers and, of course, images of Dina and Dyan...(Gals and Borders-MDR50384)

I kept taking photos and then checking before I decided upon the final arrangement.

I chose to write these words because, I am sure that these two ladies "Dared To Dream".

I hope that this has inspired you to join in with our challenge at Country View Crafts, and thanks for looking. 

Products Used:- DOILY CMS254, Circles EEG15, Gals and Borders-MDR50384.

Gift bag and tag.

This is the first time that I have chosen the topic for the Country View Crafts blog. I have always enjoyed working with circles...or I should say, playing with circles. They have endless possibilities and satisfying appeal.
I have chosen to decorate a gift bag and tag.

I started by choosing some neutral colours, fresco from Paperartsy, Vanilla, Taupe, Mocha Mousse and the new, and amazing White Fire.

Next, I placed a strong sheet of polythene inside the bag so that the paint didn't soak through or make the bag stick together.

I painted with a brush, circles ready for stamping over, and then added drippage, using the same colours.

Next, using Kay Carley's stamp from Paperartsy EKC02, I stamped the large and small circular flowers with Black Archival. I was careful to mask any flowers that overlapped one another.

I then filled in with the wispy flower head, grasses and sentiment.

To finish, I used a selection of Ranger, Liquid Pearls to highlight the flowers.

Finally, I stamped and embellished a tag.

This style would easily lend itself to cards, using Kraftcard or other colours and you could vary the stamping ink colours and maybe add jewels. 

I hope that this has inspired you to join in with us at Country View Crafts.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Products used:- Kay Carley stamp EKC02, Liquid Pearls.